STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford continued its strong start to conference play, besting Utah at Maples Pavilion, 79-73. The Cardinal improves to 4-2 in Pac-12 play with the result, moving into third place in the Pac-12.
Maxime Raynaud led four players in double figures with 20 points, tallying his fifth double-double of the season with 11 rebounds as well as three blocked shots. Brandon Angel pitched in 16 points with seven rebounds and three assists, while Michael Jones scored 15 points with four assists. Kanaan Carlyle was in double figures for the fifth time in six Pac-12 games, ending the afternoon with 12 points.
Stanford has picked up three consecutive wins over Utah, with the win on Sunday counting as a quadrant one win in the NET formula. The Utes entered the matchup at No. 19 overall.
The Cardinal and Utes (12-5, 3-3 Pac-12) went back and forth in a first half that featured five lead changes. Stanford led for the first time with 11:25 to go in the period, 15-14, following a jumper from Carlyle, and ended the half on a 12-5 run to take the lead for good. The Cardinal led at the half, 34-32.
Stanford pushed its lead to double figures, 50-40, led by five points from Angel and four from Andrej Stojakovic, who finished with nine points and a career-high eight rebounds. Utah would rally to cut its deficit as low as two, 62-60, with 5:04 to play, but Stanford added threes from Raynaud and Angel and Michael Jones made six free throws over the final 90 seconds to secure the result.
Continuing its three-game homestand, Stanford welcomes Washington State to Maples on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. The contest will air on Pac-12 Network.